Break's Day Off
by ShinobiOfNabari
Summary: Pandora gives Xerxes Break a day off from work. He and his talking doll, Emily, get into a lot of trouble.
1. Chapter 1

**Break's Day Off ~ Chapter One**

The room was filled with an awkward silence, except for the irritating ticking of the grandfather clock. The four sat, awaiting the arrival of the fifth. Vincent Nightray daintily sipped his tea and placed the porcelain cup down with a clink on the saucer beside the chess board. He absently patted Echo's white hair; the girl was seated upon his lap, her pale face void of any emotions. Oscar Vessalius hunched over the chess board and scratched his beard. He squinted through his glasses to examine it closely, plotting his next move. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. Reim sipped his tea through gritting teeth, the cup and saucer threatening to snap in his death grip. He was beyond annoyed. Of all the days the fifth member could have been late, it was the day he was supposed to be rewarded.

At that moment, the tablecloth rustled in front of Reim. Familiar white hair popped from under the table between his feet. Reim shrieked, the tea cup and saucer slipping from his hands to smash on the floor. The pale brown liquid seeped into the burgundy carpet. Reim's chair tipped backwards, sending him crashing to the floor. He continued to lay there, twitching. Xerxes Break pulled himself out from beneath the table. Brushing off his coat, he exclaimed, "Good evening, gentlemen!"

"Good evening, Break-san," Vincent said cheerfully, his creepy smile crawling onto his face. Oscar's mouth hung open, staring between Break, Reim, and the table from which Break had entered the room. The cigarette dropped from his lip.

As Break opened his mouth to respond, Reim sat up and yelled, "You're late!" He pointed accusingly at Break, eyes narrowed in a death glare. He appeared completely frazzled after Break's surprise entrance.

"Oh, am I?" Break nonchalantly pulled a piece of candy from the pouch at his side. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, crunching noisily.

Reim's eye twitched. "Yes! By three hours!"

"Three hours ain't late, dumbass!" the small green doll on Break's shoulder chimed in.

"Oh, Emily, you bad girl, you!" Break cooed to the blonde-haired doll. He tugged playfully on the bow on the doll's pink dress. "You only say that 'cos it's your fault!"

Reim pushed his glasses up on his nose, bristling. "Don't shift the blame, Break! And use the door like a normal person for once, will you?"

Oscar moved his chess piece, carefully placing in on the board. "Anyway, Break, Reim, we have some business to take care of." He reached into his pocket for another cigarette.

"Yes," Vincent said. "As for why we called you here, Break-san..." He paused and took a sip of tea. He absently tugged on one of the silver buttons holding Echo's blue dress closed as he leaned to set the cup down. "We've received an assignment for you from

Pandora." He sat back.

"An assignment from Pandora?" Break seated himself on the red couch beside Oscar. He crossed his legs and pulled out another piece of candy. "Whatever could it be?"

Reim stood and steadied himself. "Ahem. This is no laughing matter, Break-san! Do you ever take things seriously?"

Break paused in unwrapping the candy and leaned forward, deadly serious for the first time. "What is the assignment?"

Vincent examined the chess board, a dark looking in his eyes, one red and one gold. "Pandora has given you a very important assignment. You have been with Pandora long enough, Break-san, that they believe you are up to the task." His fingers hovered over one of his chess pieces. Break looked at the blonde-topped black blur he assumed was Vincent with his single red eye, waiting in anticipation. "This assignment they hope you will be able to handle. Tomorrow..." He lifted the chess piece and brought it down with a clack. "...is your day off."

The room fell silent once again. Oscar, staring blankly at the chess board, suddenly stood and tipped the whole table over, sending board, chess pieces, china, and tea flying. As everything crashed to the floor, he shouted, "Gah, I lost! Damn it!" He dropped back down onto the couch, crossing his arms like a sulking child and chomped down on his cigarette.

"Day...off...?" Break said slowly. He did not seem to grasp the concept.

"Yes," Reim said, glaring at Oscar and the mess he had made. "Tomorrow, you are not permitted to work or be involved with any of Pandora's business."

Break's head tilted, his lips curling into a frown. "Day…off…?" he repeated.

"Yes, tomorrow is your day off. You can do whatever you would like all day." Vincent clarified. Reim and Oscar looked away awkwardly as Vincent's hand groped its way up Echo's leg and disappeared beneath her dress.

Reim adjusted his glasses, face flushing slightly. "You'd better not come in to work tomorrow," he added sternly. Break's head tilted further to the side.

"Well then," Vincent said, clapping his hands together. "Now that our work is done, we'll be taking our leave for today." Echo stood from his lap; he got up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good day, gentlemen. Come, Echo." He beckoned to the girl.

"Yes, Vincent-sama," she replied monotonously. Echo turned to the others and dropped in an automatic bow before following Vincent out of the room.

"See you, Vincent-kun!" Oscar called after him.

The confused look was frozen on Break's face. As the door clicked shut, a devious smile crept across his lips. A mischievous glint appeared in his blood red eye. "Day... off..."

Reim exclaimed, "Don't be making that creepy face, Break-san!"

Oscar laughed. "I don't know what you're planning, Break, but don't get into too much trouble on your day off!"

"Oh, don't you worry about me!" Break waved a hand. He stood, adjusting his long white coat. "I have some business to take care of for Pandora before my day off, so I'll be going now." He headed over to the wooden cupboard stationed in the corner of the room and opened the doors.

"The door is that way!" Reim exclaimed, pointing to the other side of the room. Break ignored him and climbed into the cupboard. He and Emily peered out, the same creepy smile mimicked on both his and the doll's faces. "I bid you all adieu!" Break said. He snapped the cupboard shut.

Reim and Oscar sat in silence, staring at the closed doors. Reim put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. "That man... has a lot wrong with him..."

Oscar laughed again. "Still not used to him yet, eh, Reim-san?" he teased. His expression grew serious. "Though I am worried about what kind of trouble he'll get into."

"What on earth is Pandora thinking?" Reim heaved out a sigh. "We're going to regret this after tomorrow."

"Indeed, we are," Oscar agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Break's Day Off ~ Chapter Two**

"Ah, what a lovely day this is!" Xerxes Break exclaimed, raising his cup of tea. He peered out over the railing of the balcony at the courtyard of the Rainsworth mansion. It was overcast, the clouds completely masking the sun from view. The sky was dark; it appeared as if a storm were on its way. A vulture dove past, cawing loudly, and landed beside the corpse of a small gray squirrel for its breakfast. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing," he continued cheerfully, completely oblivious to reality. He set the cup down on its matching florally designed saucer. Break lifted a cookie from the tray in the center of the table to his lips.

Sharon Rainsworth sat across from him, her tea cup empty and a few crumbs scattered on the crisp white tablecloth in front of her. She frowned. "Break, you really must hurry with your tea! You still take way too long," Sharon scolded. She patted her mouth daintily with her napkin.

Break crunched on the cookie. With his mouth full, he said, "I'm in no hurry today, my ladyyyy!~" He swallowed. "Today is my day off! Isn't that right, Emily?" He looked gleefully at the doll, poking playfully at her.

"Yeah, day off!" Emily agreed.

Sharon dropped her head into the palm of her hand and shook her head. "That's not an excuse to take this long with your tea! It's indecent." She straightened her floor-sweeping royal blue dress and stood, walking over to the balcony. Her face grew serious. "Don't get into any trouble today, Xerx-nii-san. Please?" she begged. "Pandora is rewarding you with this day off. Don't blow it, okay?" She looked back over at him, watching in disgust as he licked his plate clean.

Break licked the remaining crumbs from the plate and looked over at Sharon, his face cheerful as ever. "Don't worry, my ladyyy!~" he exclaimed. "Break will be a good boy today." He lifted his tea cup and drank the rest of the now cold tea in one huge gulp. He dabbed at his mouth with a cream colored napkin and stood.

"You had better be good, Xerx-nii-san," Sharon warned.

Break stood and lifted his coat from the back of his chair. He put it on, leaving it hanging off his shoulders. He fastened it into place. Break adjusted the frilly sleeves of his purple shirt and let the white coat sleeves fall over his hands. He went to lift his sheathed sword off the ground beside his chair, but stopped himself. "I won't be needing this today," he mused. A cheerful grin crossed his face. "Well, we'll be going now my ladyyyy!~" he exclaimed. He began to lift the tablecloth.

"Well be going now!" Emily echoed.

"Take care, Xerx-nii-san," Sharon said, clasping her hands in front of her.

"See you later!" Xerxes Break disappeared beneath the table.

"Benjamin, catch!" the little brown-haired boy called, hurling a small ball in the direction of a slightly older boy. The older boy reached towards it, his fingers just grazing the smooth surface, but failed to grasp it. The ball sailed over his head and bounced into the bushes several meters behind him. "Benjamin! You were supposed to have caught it!" the younger boy whined.

Benjamin exclaimed, "I'll go get it, Charlie!" He began jogging towards the bushes. "You wait here!" The younger boy, Charlie, watched him disappear into the cluster of underbrush.

Benjamin stepped among the bushes, searching for the lost toy. He spotted it laying between a large rock and a tree to his left. "There you are! Got you!" The boy grinned and bounced over to it. He lifted the ball off the ground.

As he straightened up, he just so happened to glance behind the rock. When he did so, Benjamin's gaze fell upon a severed head, just laying there among the grass. Its single blood-red eye bore into him, the other hidden by a curtain of snow white hair, an eerie grin painted on its ghostly pale face.

Benjamin's eyes widened in terror, his face turning white as a sheet. The ball slipped from his grasp and bounced away. It rolled passed the bodiless head. "I-it's a s-severed h-head!" the boy stuttered, his voice a mere whisper.

"Who're you callin' a severed head?" a strange green doll perched beside the head demanded. Its creepy grin mirrored that of the head.

Benjamin fell backwards. "T-talking d-doll!"

"Tsk! Emily, you naughty girl, you! You scared the poor thing!" the head scolded, its red eye turning in the doll's direction.

Benjamin managed a frightened squeak. Scrambling to his feet, he ran through the bushes, completely forgetting about the ball.

"Heave, ho!" Xerxes Break pushed himself from the rabbit hole. His shoulders came into view first, followed by the rest of him. He stood and brushed the dirt from his clothing. Turning to look at the ball he said, "That boy forgot his toy…" He lifted it up and started out of the thicket. He may as well return it.

Once out in the park, he spotted Benjamin with another boy. "Heyyy, you forgot this!" Break called, holding the ball over his head in one hand, using the other to wave frantically.

Emily screeched, "You forgot yer damn ball!"

Both boys whipped around to stare wide-eyed at Break. Benjamin and Charlie went pale as they took in the ghostly face, the single red eye boring into them, the wide, creepy grin, and the disproportionate, talking, green doll. All they could do was stand there, frozen with fear.

Break, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the fact that both boys were scared half to death. He continued to grin and exclaimed, "Here, catch!" He tossed the ball towards Benjamin. The brown-haired boy failed to catch it, and continued to stare at Break as it bounced to a halt between them.

And then came the delayed reaction: "_It's the severed head and the talking doll!_" Benjamin and Charlie shrieked. Both turned, forgetting the ball, and took off running out of the park. Their screams echoed.

Break was left standing there. His head lolled to the side, the grin vanishing from his face. "They were no fun_,_" Break sighed. "I never realized days off were boring like this." He ambled across the lush grass and found a bench. He flopped down on it, feeling it shudder under the sudden weight. He poked absently at Emily. He'd grown immediately bored. Thinking it over, he really didn't have anything to do. Everyone was busy with some kind of work, for the most part. "What shall we doooo?~" Break sang. He tilted his head, drawing a blank. Days off were supposed to be _fun, _not completely dreary and boring. Sadly, Break would have much rather been working.

Xerxes Break sighed in defeat. "I guess we'll just have to go back to the Rainsworth mansion, Emily." He stood and strolled back to the rabbit hole.


	3. Chapter 3

**Break's Day Off ~ Chapter Three**

"My ladyyyy!~" Xerxes Break called, pushing aside the tablecloth. "I'm back!" He crawled from beneath the table and sat, gazing back and forth with his single blood red eye. Sharon Rainsworth appeared to be absent from the room. Break stood and straightened the black scarf around his neck. His footsteps were muffled by the burgundy carpet beneath his white boots as he made his way to the door. He turned the intricate handle and pushed the door open a bit. Break pressed the right side of his face to the crack in the door. He clutched Emily in his hand, holding the doll so she could see as well. His eye darted back and forth, searching for Sharon.

Break suddenly heard the girl's familiar laughter coming from another door down the hall. He opened the door he hid behind and slipped into the hallway, tiptoeing as he moved towards the other room. He stopped in front of the partially opened door, peering in to the room.

Sharon was seated at a small round table covered over with a tablecloth. A teapot, two tea cups, and a tray now only half filled with cookies sat on the tabletop. She was sitting with her back to him, her long blonde ponytail trailing over the back of the seat. Her hands were clasped in her lap, folded over the royal blue fabric of her dress. Break couldn't quite see her guest from his position; whoever it was had caused Sharon to begin laughing once again. He shifted himself and Emily so he and the wide-eyed doll could catch a glimpse of this humorous guest.

Break's jaw dropped to the floor when he saw Miss Rainsworth's company. It was none other than Alice, the Bloodstained Black Rabbit. What was Sharon doing with a _chain? _The two were even having tea! He watched in disbelief as the brown-haired girl gnawed incessantly on a jelly-filled cookie. The crumbs were falling all over her long, red jacket. Alice didn't appear to possess any sort of manners.

"So, Alice-san, I never thought you and Gilbert-kun would end up liking each other!" Sharon exclaimed, giggling.

The chain immediately began to choke. The cookie slipped from her hands, sending cookie and crumbs showering down on the carpet. She banged a gloved fist on the table. "Me and-" She broke off coughing. "-Seaweed Head?" Alice shouted. She stood, slammed both hands flat on the table, and leaned towards Sharon. "What the hell gave you that idea?"

Sharon dabbed at her lips with a cream-colored napkin. "The two of you are always arguing. Arguing usually means the two actually like each other," Sharon explained.

Alice's eye twitched. "The same could be said about me and that clowny bastard Break, if that's the case!" She roared.

"Oh my, so you like Xerx-nii-san, then, Alice-san?" Sharon put a hand to her mouth. Break raised an eyebrow. Did the chain really like him? He and Emily pressed their faces to the opening of the door, anticipating Alice's response.

"_Please,_" Alice said, eye twitching. She appeared to be restraining herself. "It's obvious you like him, anyway. The way you're all-" Alice clasped her hands together, batting her eyelashes, and said in a mockingly sweet voice, "-'Oh, Xerx-nii-san, whatever would I do without you? Don't leave me because I'm weak and defenseless and need you to constantly save me!'" Her expression immediately reverted back to a narrow-eyed scowl.

Break blinked. He couldn't see Sharon's expression. But by the sound of her steely voice as she replied, he knew he didn't want to. "I don't know what you're talking about, Alice. I have never said those things."

Alice took a seat and crossed her arms. "Oh yeah? Well that's damn sure how it's been." Alice smirked. "What about that time I was possessing Oz's body and almost slit your throat with a knife? Break was the one who saved you."

Sharon opened her mouth to reply, but Alice cut her off.

"Or when that creep Vincent poisoned you?" the chain added. "Break had to come after you. And Echo was the one who saved the antidote for you. Face it, you always have to rely on other people, especially that bastard Break, to save your ass." A triumphant grin spread across Alice's face.

Break's single eye went wide. He stared in shock at Alice. Sharon's head was bowed, her hands clenched in her lap. Break's eye darted between the two, awaiting Sharon's reaction. The tension in the air was almost tangible.

And then, to break the silence, Emily exclaimed, "Ooh, catfight!"

Alice and Sharon both visibly stiffened. They slowly turned, eyes shooting lightning, to stare at the door. Break backed away, all color draining from his face. The two girls flung open the door to reveal Break cowering against the wall, a sheepish smile on his face, clutching Emily to his chest. Break gave a tiny wave. "Hello, my lady-"

"_Break!_" the girls screeched simultaneously. Break turned and high-tailed it down the hall way, his long white coat trailing behind him.

"Xerx-nii-san, you're dead!" Sharon called.

"You clowny bastard!" Alice yelled, bristling.

Xerxes Break burst through the door he had entered the hallway through and threw himself back beneath the table, disappearing from sight.


End file.
